Appeal to honour Formula 1 driver hits £15k target

Peter Collins died during a race in 1958

A fundraising campaign to honour a British motor racing driver has reached its £15,000 target.

A permanent memorial to Formula 1 driver Peter Collins will be unveiled at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb in Worcestershire in May.

The Kidderminster-born racer, who drove for Ferrari, was just 26 when he was killed at the German Grand Prix in 1958.

Appeal organiser Mark Andrews said he had been "overwhelmed" by the support for the project.

An identical cold cast, life-size bust was created as part of the project and has been unveiled at the Ring Werk Museum at the Nürburgring

Mark Andrews visited the scene of the crash that killed Peter Collins last summer at the Nürburgring in Germany

“I’ve been delighted to see the fantastic response that we have had to the campaign," said Mr Andrews, who runs European Driving Tours.

"When we began, we had no idea whether we’d reach the target but people from far and wide have become really engaged with what we were trying to achieve.

"As well as succeeding in creating the memorial, I think we can safely say that it has been a great year in terms of raising Peter's profile and making sure his name is not forgotten when people talk about the great motor racing drivers of the 1950s and 60s."

Shelsley Walsh was chosen as the site for the memorial - a bust - as it was Collins' "home" venue, where he honed his racing skills after the Second World War.

The unveiling will take place from 11:00 BST on Monday 6 May, with Mr Andrews hoping that many motor racing fans will attend an event where several vintage and modern Ferraris will be on show.

The bust will be revealed by Howden Ganley, who raced in 41 World Formula 1 Grands Prix between 1971 and 1974, with members of the Collins family due to attend.

"The net result of everybody's efforts is that Peter is already more widely known, many amazing memories have been shared and his legacy to British motorsport and the people of Kidderminster and beyond can be celebrated by us all," said Mr Andrews.